Talent Management
Talent Management
These last 12 months or so have really been tough on your managers. Just think for a moment about what they have been watching on tv, hearing from their neighbors, and worrying about at work. Some work forces are completely exhausted right now. They have been cutting budgets, having to let people go, taking on extra work and longer hours, and so on, many for well over a year. They’ve been having to do so much more with so much less. They’ve been getting by, patching up, and taping things together the best they can until “the market gets better”. In addition, a boomer exodus is leaving the workforce, they are having to do more outsourcing, and deal with a more diverse workforce than ever before. Owners, boards of directors, and investors are focused on the bottom line, discussing how to manage your human capital to produce more, as if your employees were cattle on a beef ranch.
The best way to assure an increased bottom line is to train them for superior performance. “But wait”, you say….. “we cut our training budget last year, because we couldn’t afford the expense.”
(Aside: Firstly, a training budget is not an expense, it is an investment. Secondly, cutting training is like throwing the life preservers off the boat to lighten the load.
But most of you reading this already know that.)
Here is the real question: What is the Emotional Intelligence (EQ) level of your senior leadership team?
What is Emotional Intelligence? Emotional intelligence is the ability to sense, understand, and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions to facilitate high levels of collaboration and productivity (Cooper)
Unlike behavioral styles and cognitive intelligence (IQ), neither of which can be changed, EQ (Emotional Intelligence) can. It can be measured prior to training and coaching, and measured afterward, so you can prove the results of your program.
make the right decision at the right time.
Emotional intelligence consists of Self Awareness (which affects your critical thinking skills), Self Regulation, (which affects your decision making skills), Social Skills (critical to good leadership), Motivation (directly connected to optimism and positive thinking), and Empathy (which is what active listening, mentoring others, and building trust is all about).
Research shows that social factors are more important to people’s long-term success than technical ones. Empathy, self-awareness, self-regulation, and the ability to read the emotions of others are foundational skills that are essential, yet lacking in the workplace today.
One of the best returns on your investment in your training/coaching budget for the next year will be emotional intelligence assessments, starting with you, the leader, followed by your senior leadership team, and on through the organization after that. Measuring, working to improve, and re-measuring will ultimately cause the elimination of toxic behaviors, blame and excuse-making, negative thinking and dysfunctional behavior.
A smart leader makes the smallest changes that make the biggest differences. Measuring your emotional intelligence today is the beginning of the best ROI you’ve seen in years.
Tags: Boost Performance, Bottom Line, CEO tools, Profit, Self Development, Senior Leadership, Training
